


Robert And Pete At Take A Vow

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [17]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Canon Compliant, Conversations, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Male Friendship, Nerdiness, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 05:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9420401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Robert is trying to let Leyla down gently about his and Aaron’s wedding plans when Pete arrives to Take A Vow…





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! This wasn’t meant to happen, at least not yet, but here it is. All the Tumblr posts about Robert and Pete needing to start a friendship clearly got to my subconscious!! lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

Standing in the doorway of Leyla and Megan's wedding planning business, Robert gets a flashback to his wedding to Chrissie and how he'd turned up here early as Leyla had been employed to take care of his suit for the day before Chrissie's jealousy had got the better of her. It feels like a lifetime ago already, but here Robert is, as an engaged man again. There's just one difference – this is his final wedding. Aaron is it for him, the one, and the one he intends to love and work to keep happy and proud of him for the rest of his days.

He thrusts the brochures and a stack of bridal magazines (“they're really inclusive nowdays, honest! It's not just little girls who dream of their perfect wedding y'know,”) towards Leyla as she sits at her desk, his feet straddling the threshold as if afraid she'll get up and drag him in and he won't be able to escape. He told Aaron he'd be five minutes tops before they drive out somewhere for lunch with a change of scenery and ignored his fiancé's snort of disbelief.

Leyla looks at his hands and then back up to his face, expectant. Daring, almost. Robert sighs internally. “Look, Leyla,” he starts softly, because somehow not upsetting the villagers has become something he tries not to do these days unless they deserve it, “I appreciate – I mean, _we_ – me and Aaron – appreciate you dropping these into Chas, but - ”

“I told ya I would,” she interrupts excitedly, her dark eyes gleaming, “Have you thought anymore about your stag do? How about a day learning tricks with the local circus? Couples pampering? Wine tasting?”

Realising she's stubbornly not going to take the overwhelming, glossy reading material from him, Robert pushes it onto the low table by some comfy chairs nearest to him and shoves his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, letting her wild suggestions wash over him with a simple twitch of his jaw. He's already been about three minutes and time is running out fast. 

“How about I let you know?” he finds himself saying, shocked how effectively she disarmed him without him really noticing. “Because it's Aaron's choice too,”

“Of course! Take your time, but not too much time!” she jokes, waggling a finger at him with a big grin.

“Right, well - ”

“Hey mate, are you in or out?” a deep voice chuckles from behind Robert's shoulder.

Leyla gets up so quickly from her seat he's surprised it doesn't topple over. “Babe!” she cries and Robert has no other option but to step into _Take A Vow_ properly so that Pete can see his girlfriend. They fall into each other like magnets, Pete's hands settling in the small of Leyla's back as she winds hers around his neck. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Did you miss me?”

“I saw you this morning,” he grins and Robert rolls his eyes, oh god they're one of _those_ couples. “Of course I did, always miss that smile,” he adds, voice gone soft and gooey.

On cue, her face glows from the compliment and she gives Pete's lips a long peck. It's incredibly chaste, but lasts longer than Robert wants and he's about to make an actual swift exit whilst she's suitably distracted when she pulls away from Pete, her finger primly running over her immaculate lipstick in an act of embarrassed shyness. “Sorry, Robert, that was really unprofessional of me. Megan would probably have my 'ead,”

He can't help his smile, “No problem. I'll just - ”

The phone ringing on Leyla's desk cuts short his excuse and she holds up a finger to each of the men in the room, torn for a second over what to do as she tries to stop Robert from leaving and taking his business elsewhere, never mind that he and Aaron never asked for her input anyway. Chas and Charity have probably been nattering and planning whilst at the bar where anybody could overhear. In the end, he watches her impressively lunge for the receiver and stand up straight.

“Hello, Take A Vow, Leyla speaking. Here to make your special day go without a hitch! How may I help you?”

Stunned at how composed she sounds, Robert looks at Pete. Pete looks back with the trace of a smile. Robert guesses he's used to visiting Leyla at work and hearing her phone voice in action. He supposes it's a bit like when he's in the portacabin and Aaron is in conversation with a scrap client. Gone are the half formed grunts and jokes and in it's place is a confident, clever young man. Robert has to admit, it is quite sexy.

With only Leyla's phonecall for company, he and Pete stand in awkward silence. The mess with Finn had destroyed a fair few bridges, but Pete has been remarkably neutral throughout. He stood up for Aaron the day that Robert found out that it was Finn who called the police on Aaron and not Kasim as he, and possibly everyone, assumed and he's never quite forgotten that moment. Whatever he now thinks of both of his brothers, Pete seems like a good guy.

“ - Yeah, so if you could just bear with me a second - ” he tunes in to Leyla speaking before she covers the mouthpiece with her fingers and holds it to her chest. She looks at Robert and Pete apologetically. “I've been hoping to get this client for weeks. I promise I won't be long.” She lifts the phone to her ear again and walks around to the front of the her desk with the cordless handset, demandingly but silently pointing to the comfy chairs Robert had noticed earlier. Pete obeys easily and a sharpness crosses Leyla's face which finds Robert hesitantly following. She blows a subtle kiss to her boyfriend and then actually turns to leave the room, cheerily rabbiting on about searching out something this client will absolutely _love_.

Alone with Pete, Robert subtly looks at his watch. Definitely over five minutes now. He can hear Aaron's laugh.

“You can go if ya like,” Pete offers, “Promise I won't tell.”

Not as subtle as he thought then. Sat hunched on the edge of the seat, Robert glances bashfully over his shoulder to see Pete smiling wider. “Is it that obvious?”

“Mate, I know Leyla. She's like a steamroller with weddings. They're her thing. I suppose they have to be, with this being her business an' all and she is great at it.”

Robert leans back. The chair _is_ comfy. “I just don't get it,” he confesses, “I never did, even when I was getting married to - ”

He cuts himself off from saying her name and Pete shrugs. “Some of us don't,” he agrees, “It's not for everyone. And no offence, but your Aaron really is a proper bloke. I can't picture him being interested in marquees and place name settings and whether invitations are on linen or watermarked velvet finish paper.” Robert peers at him like he's just spoken in a foreign language. “She's my girlfriend and I listen to her.”

Robert suddenly feels the need to tell Aaron that he can ramble on about the complexities of the Subaru engine's lubrication system without him making any dirty jokes whatsoever. 

“Leyla's sweet,” he says, keen to let Pete know that their objections aren't about her or even her wacky ideas, “but we want simple, no fuss. We just want to get married.”

“Yeah, I did hear about that, your plan to do it away,” he swallows nervously because clearly he had heard it from Finn.

With the atmosphere stilted at the obvious mention of his troubled brother, Robert has two choices – make his excuses now and leave Pete to deal with Leyla or stick it out, brushing issues aside with a joke to keep the peace.

“Although if you ask Aaron I swear he thinks I'm gonna want us saying our vows dressed up as Han Solo and Princess Leia or somethin',”

Pete laughs, startled, and Robert grins. “Yeah? Who's who?” Robert gives him a pointed look. “Sorry, was that a stupid question? So the rumours are true – you _are_ one of them,” Even though he thinks Pete doesn't know that he couldn't help inwardly judge his and Leyla's lovey dovey talk earlier, Pete's smirk is a little unsettlingly so he plays dumb.

“One of who?”

“A nerd!” He leans towards Robert, blue eyes strikingly bright. “Between you and me, _Star Wars_ is about the only nerdy thing I can stand,” he whispers conspiratorially. “I draw the line at comics.”

“Oh come on, there's some great ones out there,” Robert blurts out. “Don't be so close-minded!”

“Close-minded?” Pete raises an eyebrow, smiling. “You really have changed, haven't ya?” He nudges Robert's elbow. “Mate, I'm messing with ya,”

“D'you think that's wise?”

Robert waits a beat before he chuckles, his tongue peeking out mischievously from his teeth. 

He's only aware of Leyla's return when she puts the phone back into its dock and clears her throat, hands on hips, as he tries to convince Pete of the merits of the _Star Wars_ franchise being recently expanded.

“Well, you two seem to be getting on well. Am I interrupting, boys?”

 _Yes_ , Robert thinks and then feels giddy. 

“No, babe, save me!” Pete exclaims, but winks at Robert.

Robert glances at his wrist and spots the time. Fifteen minutes have passed since he was desperate to leave. He springs up from the seat. “I gotta go. I promised Aaron that we'd go for lunch and wasn't meant to be this long,”

Leyla looks intrigued by what he means but Pete makes a noise, teasing. “Ohhhh, good luck!”

Robert shrugs roguishly. “I've got my methods to forgiveness,” he smirks.

“Ugh why are all you men the same,” Leyla complains, unimpressed.

Pete reaches out and drags her onto his lap. “We're simple creatures, babe,”

He kisses behind her ear, causing her to giggle. This time, Robert sees his chance and takes it, closing the door behind him and hoping that they'll remember to lock it if they don't want to be caught doing god knows what during business hours.

When he enters the backroom in a hurry, he sees Aaron sat at the kitchen table wearing one of his many black coats. Upon hearing movement, his hand stops tapping the tabletop and he frowns at Robert. “Where've ya been? I thought you said you were going drop off those things to Leyla and come straight back so we could go for grub? Did you fall down a well or somethin'? Make a new friend?”

Robert can't seem to wipe the smile from his face. Something about Aaron's low-key worry about him covered up in his usual gruffness and irritated sarcasm makes him feel so happy and loved.

He pulls Aaron from the chair with a hand to his elbow then presses his own to his fiancé's waist. He rests their foreheads together until the tension in Aaron's shoulders disappears and he rubs at Robert's forearm, leather squeaking. “Sorry I was gone so long,” he says softly, his stomach somersaulting as he realises that they might _not_ be a much different couple to Pete and Leyla after all. He kisses Aaron on the mouth, slow and lingering, with the pub's midday rush filtering in from the bar. “Did you miss me?” he chances, eventually pulling his lips away but keeping his body close and lightly squeezing Aaron's waist.

“No,” Aaron replies, thawed by the sweet kiss but still grumpy, “I'm starvin'! If we're gonna do this, can we go now, please?”

Robert hears the begrudging _yes, I missed you_ in Aaron's words because he wants to and presses a kiss to his forehead before he steps back. “Sure. Lead the way.” They've opened the back door to where Robert's Porsche is parked next to Aaron's new silver pride and joy when he thinks he might as well start telling him why he was gone for longer than expected. “So, I took those magazines back to Leyla and you'll never guess who turned up...”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


End file.
